Applications in Colorado

Osmosis is the phenomenon of lower dissolved solids in water passing through a semi-permeable membrane into higher dissolved solids water until a near equilibrium is reached. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a membrane process of purification which removes most of the the total dissolved solids (TDS) in water by reversing the natural process of osmosis. Pressure is applied to a TDS-concentrated solution against a semi-permeable membrane, causing pure water to diffuse through the membrane. RO has become an important process for a wide variety of applications including: medical, laboratory, desalination, industrial wastewater, Deionized (Dl) pretreatment, and drinking water.

Anyone and everyone who is responsible for operating and maintaining a swimming pool or spa has to test, monitor, and control complex, interdependent chemical factors that affect the quality of water bathers are immersed in. Additionally, aquatic facilities operators must be familiar with all laws, regulations, and guidelines governing what these parameters should be.

Oxidation Reduction Potential or Redox is the activity or strength of oxidizers and reducers in relation to their concentration. Oxidizers accept electrons, reducers lose electrons. Examples of oxidizers are: chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, bromine, ozone, and chlorine dioxide. Examples of reducers are sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfate and hydrogen sulfide. Like acidity and alkalinity, the increase of one is at the expense of the other.

Years ago, high purity water was used only in limited applications. Today, deionized (Dl) water has become an essential ingredient in hundreds of applications including: medical, laboratory, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, electronics manufacturing, food processing, plating, countless industrial processes, and even the final rinse at the local car wash.

Contamination of circuit boards can bring about severe degradation of insulation resistance and dielectric strength. Cleanliness of completed circuit boards is, therefore, of vital interest. For those companies who have established circuit board cleaning procedures, the MIL Spec P-28809 has been used as a guideline for control. Now a simple `on line` test for the relative measurement of ionic contamination has been developed. This fast and economical method for testing circuit board cleanliness uses a Myron L Company Ultrameter II™ 4P or 6P, a suitable container, and a mixture of Dl (deionized) water and alcohol.

Boilers and cooling towers share two major water related problems: deposits and corrosion. As steam is generated by a boiler or water evaporating from a cooling tower, dissolved minerals are left behind, increasing the concentration of these minerals. Additional minerals are introduced via the water added to makeup the water lost to steam/evaporation. Eventually, the minerals reach a level (or cycle) of concentration that will cause either loss of efficiency due to scale or damage from corrosion. This level can be determined by the Ryznar or Langlier indices and correlated to a conductivity or TDS range. Most people recognize problems associated with corrosion. Effects from scale deposits, however, are equally important. For example, as little as 1/8` of scale can reduce the efficiency of a boiler by 18% or a cooling tower heat exchanger by 40%!

The textile manufacturing industry encompasses many and diverse processes that rely heavily on the use of water, energy, chemicals, and other resources. Wet spinning, sizing, desizing, scouring, bleaching, mercerization, dyeing and printing are just a few. Monitoring and controlling the pH, TDS/Conductivity/Salt Concentration, ORP (REDOX), and Temperature of the aqueous solutions used in these processes conserves costly resources, controls quality, and reduces the amount of pollution that must be treated before discharge of effluent wastes. This can be done manually with handheld instruments or automatically with in-line monitor/controllers.

Keeping the water in our lakes, rivers, and streams clean requires monitoring of water quality at many points as it gradually makes its way from its source to our oceans. Over the years ever increasing environmental concerns and regulations have heightened the need for increased diligence and tighter restrictions on wastewater quality. Control of water pollution was once concerned mainly with treating wastewater before it was discharged from a manufacturing facility into the nation`s waterways. Today, in many cases, there are restrictions on wastewater that is discharged to city sewer systems or to other publicly owned treatment facilities. Many jurisdictions even restrict or regulate the runoff of stormwater — affecting not only industrial and commercial land, but also residential properties as well.

Modern growing practices include scientific evaluations of soil, water, fertilizers, diseases, etc. While some tests are best performed by a laboratory, others can be easily conducted on location, saving time and money. Three tests in particular, EC, pH, and ALKALINITY, can reveal valuable information about water quality, soil salinity, and fertilizer concentration. MyronL Company’s portable AGRI-METERS provide you with a simple, fast, and accurate means of testing these parameters.

Accurate fountain (dampening) solution concentration control is essential for consistent, high-quality results in lithography. Low concentration can cause drying on the non-image area of the plate resulting in tinting, scumming, blanket piling, etc. High concentrations, on the other hand, bring about over-emulsification of the ink. This results in weakening of color strength and changes in ink rheology (body and flow properties). Correct concentration will allow the non-image areas of the plate to be appropriately wetted.

Proper rinsing is one of the most important steps in quality manufacturing or metal finishing. Plenty of low cost, good quality water for rinsing has been available in the past, so rinse water conservation has been largely ignored. Today, this is no longer true. Tap water costs have increased dramatically. Various new regulations are now in effect which limit the allowable volume of wastewater. Others require wastewater treatment. Still other laws tax the amount of water going down the sewer. These factors have all encouraged many manufacturers and platers to invest in automatic rinse tank control systems. Many platers using automatic control systems for the first time are pleased to discover a reduction in water usage of up to 80%.

The Series 8900 BTEX Analyzer with a high-sensitivity PID provides direct low level measurement of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene`s in ambient air. This instrument is utilized in ambient air networks around metropolitan areas and fence-line monitoring at industrial sites.

Gas chromatographs and hydrocarbon analyzers can be key in adding value to the ethanol production process and protecting the environment from Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)emissions created during the process.

Oil and tar sands represent a vast wealth of energy reserves for the world rivaling traditional sources in quality, availability and the ability to meet the world`s needs for many years into the future. The technologies for extraction of this resource are increasingly efficient, and WesTech has worked with several companies on the leading edge of these efforts and is a ready partner for new projects and plant upgrades.

WesTech designs and manufactures a full range of thickeners for the minerals industry for product concentration, tailings disposal and CCD circuit washing, including HiFlo Thickeners, AltaFlo Thickeners, and Deep Bed Paste Thickeners. Design-build and turnkey projects are our specialty. Our reputation for excellence has been built one project at a time. Stateside and worldwide, WesTech provides a wide range of process equipment to help maximize the value of your resources.

WesTech designs and manufactures a full range of process equipment for the minerals industry in the USA and worldwide, including highly efficient HiFlo Thickeners, and Deep Bed and TOP Paste Thickeners for product concentration, tailings disposal, and CCD circuit washing. Each project is completely shop pre-assembled prior to delivery at job site. With 40 years of experience and full ISO 9001:2008 certification, we meet project deadlines and production schedules.

WesTech partners with manufacturing in every industry worldwide. For raw water treatment, wastewater treatment and water reclamation, process equipment supplied and manufactured by WesTech is designed to work and built to last. Design-build, plant expansions, and upgrades are each approached from a holistic view of the flow sheet and a broad base of experience in yours and other industries with similar challenges, always with an eye for efficiencies that go to the bottom line.

Metals production relies heavily upon efficiencies which allow for a market-ready commodity to keep an ever-changing world building and growing. WesTech process equipment provides key links in this supply chain, assuring both environmental stewardship and maximized production.

A well-designed wastewater plant starts with your effluent requirements and an energy-efficient biological process. WesTech has multiple biological process options to match your application and preference. From trickling filters to oxidation ditches, WesTech`s biological process equipment will give you the effluent quality you need and the foundation for a successful wastewater plant.

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